Genetics and Development Faculty
John M. Abrams, PhD
Professor
Abrams Lab
Research Interests: Molecular genetics of cell death; genomic “dark matter”; p53 Tumor suppressor function, 3D Genome Organization
James Amatruda, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Defining novel cancer genes and understanding the developmental biology of tumors using the zebrafish system
Linda Baker, MD
Professor
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of normal genitourinary development and congenital birth defects
Xiaoying Bai, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Transcriptional regulation of hematopoietic stem cell fate
James Brugarolas, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Brugarolas Lab
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of cell growth proliferation control
Sandeep Burma, PhD
Assistant Professor
Burma Lab
Research Interests: Recognition, signaling, and repair responses mounted by DNA-PK and ATM upon DNA damage inflicted by terrestrial radiation (X-rays and gamma rays), as well as by radiation in outer space (HZE particles)
Ezra Burstein, MD
Associate Professor
Burstein Lab
Research Interests: Molecular control of inflammatory responses in the intestine, inflammation and cancer progression, regulation of NF-kB activity, COMMD proteins
Michael Buszczak, PhD
Assistant Professor
Buszczak Lab
Research Interests: Stem cell biology; niche signaling; chromatin; translational repression
Thomas Carroll, PhD
Assistant Professor
Carroll Lab
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms regulating kidney tubule formation and maintenance
Diego Castrillon, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Castrillon Lab
Research Interests: PI3K/PTEN/AKT/FoxO pathway; ovarian function, infertility, and premature ovarian failure; cancer biology and model systems
Peter Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor
Chen Lab
Research Interests: Epigenetic gene regulation in an immune privileged environment; ocular immunology; tumor immunosurveillance
Zhijian James Chen, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: NF-B signaling and the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway
Ondine Cleaver, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cleaver Lab
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of cell fate specification during blood vessel development and organogenesis
Jonathan Cohen, PhD
Professor
Cohen Lab
Research Interests: Genetics of quantitative traits; genetic determinants of plasma lipoprotein levels
Ralph J. DeBerardinis, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Regulation of metabolism during cell growth and tumorigenesis; integrating signal transduction with metabolic flux; understanding pediatric metabolic diseases
Errol C. Friedberg, MD
Professor
Friedberg Lab
Research Interests: Cellular responses to DNA damage in eukaryotic cells with emphasis on cancer-prone human hereditary diseases
Rene L. Galindo, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Galindo Lab
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of pediatric sarcoma tumorigenesis and developmental skeletal muscle patterning
Christine Kim Garcia, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Garcia Lab
Research Interests: Pulmonary medicine; human genetics; molecular genetics
Joseph Garcia, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Integrative biological studies of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors; identification of genetic factors controlling the cardiovascular-respiratory response to hypoxia
William T. Garrard, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Regulation of immunoglobulin gene expression during B-cell development; chromatin structure-function relationships; regulation of the terminal stages of apoptosis
Robert Gerard, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Specific research projects in my lab focus on in vivo tumor targeting using recombinant protein and adenoviral vector technology. Peptide ligands and monoclonal antibodies, as well as new technologies, are used as proven methods of targeting tumors for molecular imaging and therapy.
Jonathan M. Graff, MD, PhD
Professor
Graff Lab
Research Interests: Signaling pathways in development and cancer
Robert E. Hammer, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Transforming growth factor beta signaling
F. Kent Hamra, PhD
Assistant Professor
Hamra Lab
Research Interests: Sperm stem cell development; application of sperm stem cells in functional genomics; targeting sperm cell biology for fertility management and regenerative medicine
Mark Henkemeyer, PhD
Professor
Henkemeyer Lab
Research Interests: Molecular genetics of axon guidance and brain development; bidirectional tyrosine kinase signaling
Helen H. Hobbs, MD
Professor
Hobbs Lab
Research Interests: Identification of genetic factors contributing to inter-individual differences in the concentration of lipoproteins in the blood
Jenny Hsieh, PhD
Assistant Professor
Hsieh Lab
Research Interests: Stem cell biology; neurogenesis and gliogenesis in CNS; chromatin remodeling; neurological diseases
Lily Huang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Huang Lab
Research Interests: Cytokine receptor; signal transduction; hematopoiesis; structure-function analysis of protein; cancer
Peter Igarashi, MD
Professor
Igarashi Lab
Research Interests: Transcriptional control of tissue-specific gene expression and organogenesis; polycystic kidney disease
Huaqi Jiang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Jiang Lab
Research Interests: Regulation of tissue homeostasis and regeneration mediated by stem cells
Jin Jiang, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Signal-transduction pathways in development and human disease; genetic control of organ growth and patterning; tumor suppressor genes
Jane E. Johnson, PhD
Professor
Johnson Lab
Research Interests: Development of the mammalian nervous system; transcriptional regulation of neural cell-type specification
Tae-Kyung Kim, PhD
Assistant Professor
Kim Lab
Research Interests: Genetic and epigenetic programs underlying brain development and function
Helmut Kramer, PhD
Professor
Kramer Lab
Research Interests: Molecular genetics endosomal trafficking in Drosophila
W. Lee Kraus, PhD
Professor
Kraus Lab
Research Interests: Cellular signaling, gene regulation, and epigenetic control in the chromatin environment of the nucleus; biological systems include: reproduction, cancer, inflammation, adipogenesis, stem cells, differentiation
Bing Li, PhD
Assistant Professor
Li Lab
Research Interests: Chromatin regulation and eukaryotic transcription
Rueyling Lin, PhD
Associate Professor
Lin Lab
Research Interests: Cell-fate specification in Caenorhabditis elegans early development
Yi Liu, PhD
Professor
Liu Lab
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of circadian biological clocks
Zhi-Ping Liu, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Elucidate transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of genes involved in cardiovascular diseases and characterize the signaling pathways coupling these transcriptional programs to extracellular signals that trigger this disease
Lawrence Lum, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: How information from multiple signaling molecules, including Hh and Wg, integrate in developmental and disease-related contexts
Raymond J. MacDonald, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Transcriptional control of organogenesis
Joshua Mendell, MD, PhD
Professor
Mendell Lab
Research Interests: Regulation and function of mammalian miRNAs and other noncoding RNAs in normal physiology and disease
Sean Morrison, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Cancer stem cell biology; Melanoma cell proliferation and metastasis; Stem cell aging; Stem cell self-renewal
Nikhil Munshi, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Munshi Lab
Research Interests: Transcriptional mechanisms that orchestrate formation and function of the cardiac conduction system.
Kathryn A. O'Donnell, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Identification and characterization of cancer-associated genes using transposon-mediated mutagenesis
Eric N. Olson, PhD
Professor
Olson Lab
Research Interests: Transcriptional control of cell differentiation; muscle development
Luis Parada, PhD
Professor
Parada Lab
Research Interests: The role of proto-oncogenes in vertebrate development; TRK receptors and neurotropins
Gray Pearson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Stuart Ravnik, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Molecular control of germ-cell development and meiosis
Robert B. Rawson, PhD
Associate Professor
Rawson Lab
Research Interests: The role of SREBP pathway in Drosophila; using both Drosophila and mammalian cells in culture to identify novel components of the signaling pathway responsible for the feedback regulation of the LDL receptor and the enzymes of cholesterol biosynthesis
Scott Robertson, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Lineage commitment from mesoderm; initiation of hematopoietic development
Hesham Sadek, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Metabolic profiling of stem cells
Pier Paolo Scaglioni, MD
Assistant Professor
Scaglioni Lab
Research Interests: Characterization of the function of the PML tumor suppressor, mechanisms of K-RAS induced tumorigenesis; role of oncogene induced replicative senescence in tumor suppression; mouse models of lung cancer
Jay Schneider, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Stem Cells, Cancer, microRNAs, small molecules
Nima Sharifi, MD
Assistant Professor
Sharifi Lab
Research Interests: Mechanisms of androgen receptor gain-of-function in “hormone refractory” prostate cancer and novel therapies designed to target the androgen receptor
Jerry W. Shay, PhD
Professor
Shay Lab
Research Interests: Defining the molecular mechanisms of human cell immortalization; telomeres and telomerase in aging and cancer
Stephen Skapek, MD
Professor
Research Interests: Tumor suppressor gene function; Angiogenesis; Skeletal muscle differentiation; Oncogene-induced senescence
William J. Snell, PhD
Professor
Research Interests: Understanding the mechanisms of cell-cell adhesion induced signaling and cell-cell fusion during fertilization
Michelle D. Tallquist, PhD
Associate Professor
Tallquist Lab
Research Interests: Receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in mammalian development and disease
Shuseng Wang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Wang Lab
Research Interests: Transcriptional and post-transcriptional control of angiogenesis and vascular retinopathy.
Tom Wilkie, PhD
Associate Professor
Wilkie Lab
Research Interests: G-protein signaling during mouse development, energy homeostasis, and feeding behavior
Carol Wise, PhD
Associate Professor
Wise Lab
Research Interests: Genetics of pediatric musculoskeletal and autoinflammatory diseases
Stephen Wooding, PhD
Assistant Professor
Wooding Lab
Research Interests: Genetic variation in taste sensitivity, population genetics, and evolution
Woodring E. Wright, MD, PhD
Professor
Wright Lab
Research Interests: The role of telomeres and telomerase in cellular senescence and cancer; developing normal immortalized cells for therapeutic uses
Jiang Wu, PhD
Assistant Professor
Wu Lab
Research Interests: Chromatin regulation of neural development; neural stem cell differentiation; activity dependent gene expression
Hiromi Yanagisawa, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Yanagisawa Lab
Research Interests: Extracellular matrix proteins and maintenance of vessel microenvironment during development and disease; molecular mechanism of neural crest development in vivo
Chun-Li Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor
Zhang Lab
Research Interests: Nuclear receptor signaling and adult neural stem cells
Andrew R. Zinn, MD, PhD
Professor
Zinn Lab
Research Interests: Genetic disorders of human growth and reproduction; Turner syndrome; infertility; obesity
Hui Zou, MD
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Regulation of chromatid cohesion and separation in vertebrates